The PS3 launched just about a month ago on November 17th. When it launched, people who managed to get their hands on one of the prized possessions but didn’t really want it, managed to make a hefty profit by selling on eBay. About one month later, the hype and demand for a coveted PS3 is dying down, and sellers on eBay are left making little, if any profit, and that’s assuming that the machine even sells! Many of the listings are ending with reserves unmet, even with the offer of next day air, same day shipping, etc. So what happened to all of the excitement and the demand?

NotifyWire, a tracking firm says that the fever for PS3 has slowed a lot in comparison to the Xbox 360 demand last year around the same time.The president of NotifyWire, Ian Drake says that:

“I think we’re already at the point where people won’t pay a premium for the console or be forced into buying bundles… Last year we tracked several one thousand dollar Xbox 360 bundles which would sell out in less than two minutes after becoming available… I think people are tired of being gouged on eBay.”

Last year, they tracked Xbox 360 bundles that were selling for over $1,000, and they lasted only minutes on the shelves. This year, a PS3 bundle for $1,000 stayed on the shelf for over 12 hours! The Xbox hype didn’t die down until well after Christmas last year.

It appears as though all of the hardcore gamers got their system, and now they’re satisfied. For the average Joe who’s buying for themselves or their child, just for fun, it’s a lot of money to fork out. Especially when you add in the cost of the games! What’s a gaming system without games? According to Joystiq, there has been a 20% increase in the price of PS3 and Xbox 360 games. Now each game costs around $60.00 which adds up pretty quick on top of the cost of the system! Here’s a quick breakdown of the cost for the game: